Border Patrol chief resigns after misconduct report and 37-year career

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks told Fox News on May 14, 2026, that he was resigning effective immediately after nearly 37 years of federal service. In a farewell message to employees, Banks said it was time to 'retire and return home to Texas to focus on my family and ranch.' He claimed he left the border 'back on course' and called it the most secure border ever.

Banks joined the Border Patrol after a decade in the U.S. Navy. He held multiple leadership posts in Texas, Arizona, and California before leaving federal service to become Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's first-ever border czar in 2023, advising on Operation Lone Star. President Trump appointed him national Border Patrol chief on January 21, 2025.

Banks' resignation came six weeks after a Washington Examiner investigation based on interviews with six current and former Border Patrol employees. Those employees told the outlet Banks bragged to colleagues about paying for sex with prostitutes during trips to Colombia and Thailand over roughly a decade.

CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility investigated Banks twice, including once in 2025. A CBP spokesperson told the Examiner the allegations 'date back more than a decade and were reviewed years ago' and that the matter was closed. The investigation ended abruptly while Kristi Noem served as DHS secretary.

Banks oversaw a dramatic expansion of Border Patrol operations beyond the border itself. Under his leadership, hundreds of agents deployed to cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis alongside elite CBP tactical units. The ACLU filed multiple lawsuits alleging racial profiling in these operations.

In Sacramento, a federal judge found Border Patrol violated a preliminary injunction by stopping people outside a Home Depot without reasonable suspicion. The ACLU of Minnesota filed a class action accusing agents of racially profiling Somali and Latino residents in the Twin Cities.

Banks' departure makes him the third senior immigration official to exit in weeks. ICE acting director Todd Lyons announced he would leave government on May 31, citing family reasons. The Trump administration named David Venturella as his replacement on May 13.

Venturella spent 12 years at GEO Group, ICE's largest detention contractor, most recently as senior vice president of client relations. Border czar Tom Homan, himself a former GEO Group consultant, hired Venturella as a full-time adviser and granted the ethics waiver personally. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee wrote to Homan raising conflict-of-interest concerns. Since Venturella's return to government, GEO Group has won $520 million in new or expanded contracts.

GEO Group reported record profits of $254 million in 2025, a roughly 700% increase over 2024. The company secured approximately $520 million in new or expanded contracts and added four new detention facilities totaling about 6,000 beds, bringing its ICE capacity from 20,000 to 26,000 beds.

The financial relationship between GEO Group and the official now running ICE drew scrutiny from oversight groups. The Project on Government Oversight documented how GEO Group hired Venturella while he had institutional knowledge of ICE's procurement process.

The DHS leadership upheaval began with Kristi Noem's ouster as secretary. Trump fired Noem after tensions with GOP lawmakers over her handling of the fatal Minnesota shootings and perceptions she used the post for personal image-building. The Senate confirmed former Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin as her replacement in a 54-45 vote on March 24, 2026, with Democratic Sens. John Fetterman and Martin Heinrich voting yes and Republican Sen. Rand Paul voting no.

Mullin has signaled a different approach from Noem. Internal memos show he ordered a review of all immigration detention warehouse contracts and limited the use of administrative warrants to enter homes without judicial approval.

CBP's internal accountability record raises questions about whether the agency can police its own leadership. A DHS Inspector General survey found that roughly 10,000 of 28,000 DHS law enforcement officials reported experiencing sexual harassment or misconduct at work. Only 22% formally reported it, and 41% of those who did said reporting negatively affected their careers.

The DHS IG is also investigating contracts Noem handled during her tenure, including a $38 billion warehouse-to-detention conversion program run with adviser Corey Lewandowski.

The Heritage Foundation praised the administration's enforcement results, calling it the most successful border security effort in decades. Heritage recommended $45 billion in additional ICE funding and full implementation of the Remain in Mexico program.

The ACLU's immigrants' rights project described putting Border Patrol in charge of interior enforcement as an alarming escalation by an agency with a documented record of human rights violations. The ACLU documented tear gas use in residential neighborhoods, helicopter raids on apartment buildings, and drone surveillance of protests in its May 2026 report.